Hook reveals the truth

And off he went. Off towards the cave that he’d been to several times before. It wasn’t uncommon for Hook Rigby to do things like this. No, he’d been on the hunt for the Great Dragon for the past few years. All of his research, all of his studies, they all pointed to this cave. The lonely cave about an hour away from the town he lovingly called home. It was the home of the one he’d been hunting. The one he wanted to expose to the world once and for all.

It’s not that he’d never explored this cave; he had many times before. It’s just that this time he had new insight on what lied within. The day prior, or at least what he believed was the day prior, a pair of travelers had approached him. They recounted the tale of their journey over the past week; a week that had been made up of the same day seven times in a row. This pair of travelers had been trapped in what they claimed was a “time loop”. Every day was the 21st. Tuesday June 21st. Every. Single. Day. There didn’t seem to be an end in sight for them.

The only information they had on what was happening to them was a mysterious journal that a pair of University students had given them. Apparently these two had come to town in order to take part in the University’s experiment. Hook had heard of what was going on, but he never paid it any mind. He wasn’t fond of the university. They often tried to use potions and spells that were beyond their understanding. He’d always been wont to seek hidden truths, but the university was overzealous with their research. They tended to barrel into projects head first before getting their facts straight.

Hook, of course, was intrigued by these traveler’s claims. They spoke of hidden truths; things being hidden to the public for some unknown reason. Not only did their claims of this time loop pique his interest, but they actually had a way to prove it to him. Objects that they’d kept throughout the previous loops. A second version of his notebook; something that he never let leave his sight. This book had writing in it that was quite obviously his own, but he couldn’t recall writing any of it. This writing all had to do with Halcyon, the Great Dragon himself. The dragon that Hook had been hunting for years.

This Halcyon was a lesser dragon Hook had employed several years ago. The same Halcyon was the center of most, if not all, of Hook’s theories. There were far too many coincidences between the Great Dragon Halcyon and his employee to pass over. They had everything in common other than their species, but even that was up for debate given that the Great Dragon Halcyon was a shapeshifter. The evidence was there. Several years ago one of Astra’s wizards had even drunkenly told a young Hook about how the Great Dragon Halcyon was still alive and well. Sure, Vance was known to tell tall tales, but he wasn’t a liar. Hook had always believed this story. It was the catalyst that made him begin his hunt for the dragon in the first place.

The pair of travelers that were stuck in this loop told Hook several things, one of which being that Halcyon would walk into the bar this morning beat to hell. He had a bit of a wraith infestation in his home, and the wraiths were getting more and more violent. This explained why Halcyon had been showing up later and later in the day over the past week. At least, what he believed to have been the past week. He didn’t quite know what a wraith was, but the matter was quickly cleared up. Apparently wraiths were mysterious creatures that transcended time itself. Creatures not bound by it who could move between times freely. It was almost unbelievable.

After explaining the wraiths and the happenings of the past week, the travelers asked something of Hook. They allegedly had a way to allow a singular individual to come with them through the time loop. A way to make them remember past events, at least temporarily. Of course they had no way of knowing for sure. They hadn’t tested this object yet, which is where Hook came in. He was open to the truth. Out of everyone in town, they deemed Hook most likely to believe their claims and play along. They were right. Discovering the truth about the Great Dragon was Hook’s life work, and he’d do whatever it took to uncover the truth and share it with the world.

The Great Dragon Halcyon in years past was a mighty  protector of Mirror Domain. He came to fruition in year zero during the great demon infestation. This dragon was the reason mortal life as a whole didn’t cease to exist. He fought hard day in and day out until the demons had been all but exterminated. Well, not exterminated. Demons were still as prevalent as ever in Mirror Domain, but he definitely put them back in their place. While this was generally speaking a good thing, there was one thing Hook greatly disliked.

The Great Dragon had left the public eye and had been working in the shadows ever since. He’d been gone for so long that he was no longer seen as a real individual who’d once existed. He was written off as nothing more than a legend. This really got to Hook. Halcyon was the only creature powerful enough to slay demons as mighty as the one’s who’d plagued the world years ago. If he was working in the shadows, they had no way to tell if he was actually doing his job or not.

Sure, Mirror Domain had yet to see any demon like the ones in year zero since Halcyon’s disappearance, but there was no way to tell if that was because Halcyon was still upholding his duties as the world’s protector or if it were just a coincidence. Hook’s ploy to expose the Great Dragon wasn’t for his own mental wellbeing. He wanted to put responsibility back on the dragon. If he was in the public eye once more, he’d be held responsible for his actions. Not only that, but if he began to slack off then Mirror Domain’s citizens could prepare themselves accordingly. Hook believed that it’ be best for everyone if this creature was held accountable for his actions. Working in the shadows, away from the public eye. It all aroused suspicion.

So, when these travelers offered to bring him through the time loop with them, Hook graciously accepted. From what they’d told him it seemed like Halcyon was somehow involved with the time loop. The wraiths were getting agitated because of an interference with time. If Halcyon wasn’t involved somehow then surely they’d be leaving him alone. If he wasn’t involved, the wraiths would only be attacking the pair of travelers standing before him. The ones who’d directly influenced the flow of time. Everything they said was suspect, and he wanted to see this with his own eyes. He wanted to prove everything for himself.

Hook was given a stone. A small, green stone that was speckled with silvery chunks. It was smooth and polished, and when he held it in his hands he could feel the magical energy in his body getting boosted. It was almost as if this stone amplified his own magic somehow. Whatever it was, it was extremely powerful. A relic, perhaps?

He’d been told that he had to hold on to this stone in order to remember the events of the time loop. If he wasn’t holding it when the day reset he’d be reset with it. Only those who’d drinken the potions provided by the university during the first loop were able to retain their memories naturally. Everyone else was doomed to forget the repeating of the days.

Of course, since he didn’t have any means of keeping items through the loops the stone would reset to its original position once the day reset, meaning that Hook would have to somehow acquire another one of these stones if he wanted to retain his memories further. Nightfall came and Hook did exactly what he was asked. To ensure the stone didn’t leave his grasp he took a small piece of cloth from storage and used it to tie the stone to his hand. It wasn’t pretty or comfortable, but it worked.

A soft light shone across Hook’s face that morning waking him from his slumber. The stone he’d had the night prior had disappeared, just as the travelers had said. He was also able to remember what they’d told him. He could remember the day prior. Every single aspect of it, just as he would any other day. Weather or not he was trapped in this time loop or if it was simply the next day he didn’t know. It could very well be the 22nd now. The travelers could have simply been messing with him. He needed to get out of bed and prove this for sure.

As Hook got out of bed and began getting ready for the day he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. An eerie aura filled his room, but he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Everything was in its place. Well, almost. His journal, the journal he kept his research about the Great Dragon, was in a different place than it was before. Last night he’d put it on his nightstand. He was quite sure of it. This morning, however, it seemed to be on his work desk. Hook trotted up to his book and flipped through the pages. If it’d been moved, there was a chance it’d been tampered with.

Tampered with it had been. Looking through the most recent pages Hook could see that everything he’d written yesterday had quite literally vanished. There was no sign of erasure and none of the pages seemed to be missing from what he could tell. No, it was almost as if he’d never written anything down in the first place. It was all very peculiar.

Seeing that book is what brought him to where he was now. Making the hour walk to the cave he’d visited the day before. Yesterday, the day that should have been the 21st, the pair of travelers had told him about Halcyon’s true identity. They’d explained what was going on with the wraiths as well, and Hook wanted to see this for himself. Perhaps if he helped Halcyon rid the city of these monsters he’d be more inclined to trust him. At the very least, catching him in his true form would stop this ruse. At the very least helping with this wraith problem will get Halcyon back on schedule. Hook was beginning to get fed up with his constant lateness.

Still, as he walked that eerie feeling kept following. It only got stronger as he got closer and closer to the cave. It was almost 9:00 now. Yesterday Halcyon had shown up for work around that time. There was no way he’d miss him. If he was on his way to work, Hook would be able to see him walking out of the cave. If he really was inside that is. Hopefully he wasn’t mistaken about all of this. While it seemed likely that the day had reset, there was still no hard evidence.

A blast of purple energy shot out from the cave and right past Hook as he finally made his way to the entrance. This blast was followed by someone groaning in pain. The voice was unmistakable Halcyon’s. They’d been working together for the past few years. His voice was very familiar to Hook at this point. Hearing this put Hook on high alert. He never intended for Halcyon to see him here, but he sounded like he was in danger. Hook couldn’t bring himself to stand idly by as these unknown assailants tore his employee to shreds.

Quickly, Hook drew his sword and charged into the cave. The cry seemed to be coming from behind a very large set of doors. These doors were far too large for Hook to open on his own, but that didn’t stop him from trying. Unsurprisingly, Hook was unable to open them. Looking around Hook could see a rather large hole that’d been blasted into one of the doors. It was a bit high up, but climbing up to it seemed doable. Hook was pretty agile. He could easily climb the fifteen or so feet upwards to get into the room. The battle raged on as Hook dug his claws into the face of the door and pulled himself to the opening. It was a tough climb, and Hook almost lost his footing several times, but in the end he managed to hoist himself up and peer inside.

Inside the room Hook could very clearly see Halcyon in the midst of battle. Surrounding him on all sides were creatures he’d never seen before. They were mostly composed of a deep purple smoke with long draping limbs that trailed behind them as the smoke dissipated. In place of a face, they had very warped and monstrous skulls with piercing purple eyes that gave off a bright glow. Whatever these things were, they were angry. They lazily floated around Halcyon as they attacked him one after another.

These creatures were undoubtedly the wraiths he’d been told about. There was no other explanation. Halcyon seemed to be holding his ground. At least for the time being. He had cuts and bruises all across his face and back, but he was still standing. Disappointingly, Halcyon was not in the form of a dragon. He was standing there, the same as ever. A small lesser dragon dressed in his work uniform, fighting off a band of bloodthirsty monsters which outnumbered him greatly.

Hook intended on sneaking up behind these wraiths and surprising them, but just as he inched past the threshold of the door something knocked him off of his platform and sent him tumbling to the ground. He hit the stone floor of the cave with a mighty thud that seemed to echo endlessly throughout the cavern. Above him, he could see what seemed to be another wraith. It was watching him from the hole in the door he’d just been pushed out of. While the wraith didn’t have any means of making a facial expression, Hook could almost undoubtedly tell it was snickering at him. It seemed pleased with itself for catching him so off guard.

Not only did the wraiths see him, but Halcyon did as well. He seemed more surprised than anything. While he was still distracted one of the wraiths lunged at him, leaving long jagged claw marks running down his back. His scales were tough, so the scratches didn’t break through his skin, but they were very clearly visible.

“Mr. Rigby!” Halcyon yelled. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? You’ve been showing up late for the past week, you didn’t think I’d notice?” Hook yelled back as he got up from the floor and readied his sword.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re here! How did you even know where I was?”

“I have insider information.” Hook turned his attention towards the wraiths. “Look, now’s not the time to explain. You need help, right?”

Halcyon huffed before also turning back to the wraiths. His throat gurgled a bit as he readied a huge breath of fire. White hot flames erupted from his maw and shot out at the wraith in front of him. It let out a horrific shrek before disappearing in a puff of black smoke. As this was happening, Hook was fending off a different wraith with his sword. It opened its mouth, letting a purple fog seep out, before lunging towards him. Hook easily deflected this attack with a swing of his sword. It collided with the wraith’s skull, causing it to disappear as well.

“Hah! This is the infestation you’ve been talking about for the past week?” Hook asked, grinning a bit. “They’re pushovers”

“They aren’t dead, Rigby.” Halcyon growled, smoke still pouring out of his mouth. “I keep attacking, and they keep coming back. Killing them just makes them angrier…”

The bulk of the wraiths dispersed; going from a neat circle around Halcyon to random parts of the room. They floated laziny across the cave, but it was a threatening and eerie laziness. It was as if they weren’t actually trying to kill the two at all. They just floated around the room. Watching. Staring. Hook had his sword in a defensive position and he began inching closer to Halcyon until the two were almost back to back.

“Tell me, Hal. These things have something to do with time, right?” Hook asked. His voice was an odd mix of smug anger. The kind of satisfaction you’d get when catching someone in a lie.

“Yes, they do. How you know this I don’t know, but that’s correct” Halcyon mumbled.

“So why are you a target, hmm?”

“I’m not. Someone or something in town is. I’ve been drawing them away for the past week.” Halcyon muttered, annoyed. “They started attacking around the time the University announced this experiment of theirs. Whatever they’re doing really pissed these things off”

The wraiths floated around the pair idly as they talked. They were waiting for one of them to make a move. Still, while they weren’t attacking, many of them were ever so slowly inching towards the pair; reforming the circle they had around Halcyon originally. Their eyes glowed a brilliant purple which seemed to fill the room with soft purple light. It’d be far more beautiful if the two’s lives weren’t in danger. As things stood right now, the purple haze of the room only made it feel more threatening.

“I know exactly what the University did. I’ve gotten to see the fruits of their labour. I’m just wondering how you’re tied into all this…”

“I already told you, Hook” Halcyon growled. He seemed to be growing more and more fed up with this entire situation.

“And I don’t believe you! It doesn’t make sense that they’d attack you over the pair of misfits that actually messed with the flow of time. Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”

“Are you really going on one of your rants now? For the last time, I’m not “out to get you”. Nobody is. You’ve been making this hidden narrative up in your head, Hook. The world’s a pretty simple place. This conspiracy of yours has gone too far!”

As Halcyon yelled this several wraiths disappeared from sight. They seemed to be fading one by one. Their population in the cave went from around twenty to just six. It wasn’t exactly clear where the rest of them had gone, but they’d definitely left. The remaining six were still surrounding the pair, slowly drawing closer and closer. Both Hook and Halcyon were starting to get tense at the sight of this.

Suddenly, all six of the wraiths lunged at the pair at once. The bulk of them focused on Hook; knocking the sword from his hands and dragging his body up and off the ground. Once they’d reached a certain point, the wraiths' bodies began to disappear. Almost as if they were going through an invisible portal of sorts. Seeing this, Halcyon grabbed at Hooks ankles and held on for dear life. The two wraiths trying to hold him back were failing miserably. Their thin wispy arms were no match for someone as well built as Hal.

“Hey! Let me go! Put me down, you heathens!” Hook screamed at the wraiths, desperately trying to wriggle himself free. He seemed to be firmly in their grasp.

The wraiths continued to pull, but Halcyon held on tight. Both wraiths on him were pulling him back as the other four pulled Hook higher and higher. His grip was beginning to loosen. Hook’s leg was slipping from his grasp. He didn’t know what the wraiths were going to do with him, but it couldn’t be a good thing. Holding on to fur like this was a bit challenging. In a last ditch effort to hold on, Halcyon dug his claws into Hook’s leg. This seemed to work quite well, but Hook didn’t share the sentiment.

“Ah! What the hell are you doing?” He cried as trails of blood began to drip from his leg. “Stop!”

“I’m trying to hold on! Quit complaining!” Halcyon yelled in response.

While Halcyon’s attention was focused on holding on to Hook, Hook could see something forming behind him. The wraiths, the ones who’d disappeared earlier. They had all materialized behind Halcyon. Their bodies began to warp and merge together until the group of several small wraiths turned into one monstrous one. Its skull was broken and distorted with teeth jetting out every which way. It also appeared to be cracked in several areas as if it’d been made out of broken pieces of glass. The once thin and wispy body grew thick bone like structures that stood firmly in the center of it’s limbs. It was a sight to behold.

“Look out!” Hook screamed.

The behemoth raised its large clawed hand and took a swipe at Halcyon; knocking him to the ground and causing him to lose his grip. His claws dragged down Hook’s leg as he was swept away, leaving long jagged wounds etched into his flesh. Halcyon letting go caused the wraiths holding Hook to jolt backwards, causing all of them to shoot up and into the portal. It all happened in the fraction of a second. Far too fast for Hook to be able to process what was going on.

One moment he was in the cave with Halcyon, and the next he was in a swirling vortex of colours and patterns. He couldn’t quite focus on anything. The flashing purple lights in the otherwise dark and empty void were far too disorienting. Still, this only lasted a moment. Soon Hook had exited this portal and found himself being dropped onto what seemed to be hard concrete. The sudden drop winded him for a brief second, but he was able to recuperate fairly quickly. The jolt caused by Halcyon letting go had also caused the wraiths to lose their grip. Hook found himself free from their grasp. At least, free enough to make a run for it.

His leg ached as Hook shot up off the ground and made a break for the nearest exit. The place he found himself in appeared to be a very large and extravagant city. The buildings were made of black obsidian and some sort of purple crystal. Many of the crystals jetted out from the buildings themselves as if they’d been growing there for decades. A faint ticking noise could be heard echoing throughout the entirety of this city; a city which seemed to be completely underground. It seemed as if there were clocks everywhere. At least one on every building and then some. The only thing illuminating the place was the purple glow of the crystals and clocks. Everything else was left in darkness.

While he didn’t know where he was or where he was going, Hook managed to get away from the wraiths. He took cover inside one of the nearby buildings. Every building in the area seemingly lacked doors or windows or any kind. Instead, there were large openings in the walls where these objects should be. Unusual, but now wasn’t the time to question such things. Hook had to tend to his injuries.

The building Hook found himself in didn’t have much. The only thing inside the place were large grandfather clocks and rows of bookshelves. All of the books were bound in a purplish leather, encrusted with silver lining and neatly cut gemstones. They were quite pretty, but they weren’t of any use. Whatever language they were written in Hook couldn’t understand.

Seeing as there were no bandages, Hook took off his apron and tied it around the open wounds on his leg. It wasn’t the most sanitary, but it’d at least stop the bleeding for the time being. Well, that was one problem taken care of, but there was still a more pressing issue. The wraiths were bound to come back eventually, and Hook had no means of defending himself. His sword had been knocked out of his grasp back at Halcyon’s place. He also found himself seemingly unable to channel any of his magic. He was left with nothing to defend himself.

After some time had passed, Hook got back up and cautiously began to leave the building he was in. There didn’t seem to be any wraiths around, but that only amplified his paranoia. Not being able to see anything was almost worse. If he could see the wraiths he’d at least know where to avoid. As things stood he was at a heavy disadvantage.

The ticking of the clocks echoed throughout the cave. All of them were perfectly in sync with one another, making each tic that much louder. After a short time, it almost felt as if his heart was in sync with these clocks as well. Other than the ticking, the citadel was ghostly silent. Every move Hook made seemed to echo throughout the cavern. It made wandering around the place that much more terrifying.

Hook wandered this city for the remainder of the day. Time seemed to pass so slowly in this place. Maybe it was the constant ticking of the clocks that made it seem that way. It was a constant reminder of how slow a second really was. Time went by much faster when he wasn’t forced to think about it. Still, Hook was tired and hungry. He expected to be gone three hours at most; an hour to get to Halcyon’s cave, roughly an hour of searching for evidence or chatter, and then an hour back home. Hook hadn’t brought along any supplies because of this.

He’d looked around, but none of these buildings had anything in them other than clocks and books. Not really, anyway. Yes, many of them had other furnishings like chairs and rugs, but there was nothing of any use to him. No supplies of any sort. Just row upon row of books he couldn’t read and the increasingly annoying sound of clocks. Hook was going to lose his mind if he was stuck here any longer.

While he wanted to find a place to sleep for the night, he wasn’t sure if that was the best idea. The wraiths could strike at any moment, and being asleep only put him at a bigger disadvantage than he already was. But staying awake wasn’t much better. Being tired like this only slowed him down more. Not only that, but if he didn’t get some sleep then he’d be at a disadvantage for far longer. Staying up late like this would mean he’d have to sleep more in the end. It didn’t seem worth it, as tempting as it was.

So, Hook found the nearest building and hunkered down for the night. Falling asleep proved to be more difficult than he thought, though. The dim lighting and purple haze made this citadel feel like it was in an eternal state of nighttime, but the ticking of the clocks was grating on his ears. It filled his mind and kept him distracted. Still, sleep came eventually. It was only a matter of time.

Hook was awoken by the faint sounds of screeching. It sounded like the noise the wraiths had made when he attacked them the day prior. How long he’d been asleep he didn’t know, but given the sheer amount of clocks everywhere it’d be pretty easy to find out. That wasn’t Hook’s concern, though. He was far more concerned with the fact that the wraiths were nearby.  The cut on his foot had stopped bleeding from the day prior, but now his foot was swollen and painful. Walking proved to be difficult, but Hook managed to push on.

Peeking behind the wall Hook could see the giant wraith from yesterday stalking around the area. It seemed to have grown from yesterday. It’s skull was even more broken, and now it almost appeared to be that of a dragon. The wraith's monstrous body was being held at an odd angle. It’s arms draped down and dragged across the ground like broken wings, only amplifying its dragon-like appearance. It was a terrifying sight to behold, and Hook didn’t want to get anywhere near it.

He didn’t have a choice, however. Hook misjudged how badly he was injured. A simple misstep caused his foot to hit the ground hard and him to cry out in pain. The wraith heard his cries and immediately locked eyes with him. Hook had nowhere else to go other than back inside the building, but despite the fact the wraith was now several times larger this didn’t seem to phase it. Its body simply phased through the walls and into the room.  Its enormous jaws clamped down on Hook’s shirt and began dragging him out of the building. Once he was out, it threw him into a large open area of the citadel.

Just as Hook was standing up to run again several more wraiths materialized around him, grabbing him from every angle and preventing him from getting away. There were just too many wraiths. No matter how hard he pulled, the wraiths grip didn’t budge. They seemed to be pulling him in a certain direction. With no other choice, he walked. There didn’t seem to be any better option. It was either walk or be dragged.

He didn’t know where he was being taken, but it sure did take a long time. The wraiths lead him down the city and off into an abrupt end to the world. It was a massive wall that was miles high. The wall was similar to that of a cave. It had a bend to it higher up that eventually turned to the ceiling of the room. The only place to go was a small and lonely staircase being illuminated by two purple glowing pillars and a few crystals that jetted out from the walls.

The smaller wraiths let him go, but the large one followed closely behind. It nudged him, almost demanding that he begin the descent down the staircase. Looking down Hook could see that the stairs twisted and warped, making it impossible to see the bottom. The only source of light were more crystals that happened to be embedded into the walls. He could try to run, but there was nowhere to go. The dragon wraith would surely catch him the second he turned to flee.

After a brief moment of hesitation Hook began making his way down the stairs. Every step pained him as his injured foot hit the ground over and over and over. It was uncomfortable, but stopping didn’t seem like an option. The wraith followed closely behind, and it had no intention of slowing down. It seemed like if he stopped, the wraith would push him down the stairs. That was far worse than simply playing along. The walk down took about an hour. By the end Hook was almost completely drained. His legs felt weak, and the throbbing of his injury only made things worse. Still, he made it in the end.

At the base of the staircase was what seemed like a room. A standard living room, albeit with a heavy purple colour palette. Like the other buildings, this room had a bookshelf with a plethora of books lining it and several clocks. Unlike the other buildings, though, this room seemed more like a lived in area and not just for show. There was an old worn couch covered in pillows and blankets, a desk with a notepad on it, and several trinkets and toys strewn about.

The wraith followed him into the room and pushed him along. No time to stand around and gawk at things. Hook didn't know where this monster was taking him, but he hoped they'd be there soon. His injured foot really couldn't take much more of this. It was already swollen and painful before the hike down the staircase. Now it felt like it could give out at any moment.

Both of them reached a small hallway and the wraith came to an abrupt stop. Following suit, Hook stopped walking as well; although this seemed to piss off the monster even more. The second Hook stopped walking it let out a mighty shreek before shoving him down the hall and towards a small doorway. This was the first actual door Hook had ever seen in this place. It was made of jet black obsidian, with a golden trim and purple gems embedded in the surface. On the front in the very center was, surprise surprise, another clock. Although this one seemed to be far more intricate than all the others. Hook looked back at the wraith who seemed to be firmly planted at the opposite end of the hallway. It had no intention of following him, but it was blocking his only exit. There was no other option than to continue down this hallway and into whatever laid behind that door.

Cautiously, Hook approached the door and gave it a gentle knock. Then another. No one answered for quite some time. Not until the wraith let out another screech. This cry seemed far less threatening than the one it let out before. Almost friendly in a way, although Hook highly doubted that. This thing wanted nothing more than to slaughter him for all he was concerned. Regardless,  shortly after the wraith screeched yet again the door's crystals glowed a bit brighter and the door lazily swung open.

“Come in, come in” A voice called out from inside

Walking in, Hook could see what appeared to be a modestly sized work area. There was a large singular desk which was overflowing with stacks of paper, notebooks, glass vials, and miscellaneous ingredients of every sort. Much like the other rooms he’d seen, there was also a shelf of books, although this shelf seemed far messier than the rest of them. Instead of pristine silver encrusted books neatly in a row, this shelf had random books haphazardly shoved wherever they could fit. The floor was quite messy as well. As Hook walked, he could hear a slight crunch under his feet. He wasn’t sure if it was coming from the crumpled papers strewn about or something underneath them.

Sitting at the desk was a man. At first he looked human, but the second he spun his chair around to face Hook the truth was revealed. It appeared like he was human at one point, but he had what looked like a blight of sorts enveloping one of his arms, giving it a warped and monstrous look. His face was also partially enveloped in this blight. Placed on his back were a set of old and broken looking wings. Clumps of feathers were missing from these wings. Everything about this man felt wrong. He had a mysterious aura surrounding him that put Hook on edge.

“Oh, It’s you. Back so soon, Mr. Rigby?” The man said. His voice sounded both smug and tired in an odd way. “Hurt your foot again, did you? Shame. Oh well. It seems this injury is a prerequisite to your visits at this point”

With a snap of the man's fingers, Hook’s foot became fully healed. It was undoubtedly magic of some sort, but Hook had never seen anything like it before. Whoever this man was, he was a powerful wizard.

“Who…” Hook began, only to be immediately cut off.

“My name is Meridian. We’ve met before, albeit in another timeline. You couldn’t remember me if you tried, and after this is all over you’ll forget yet again. As is the nature of my existence” Meridian recited this speech almost robotically. He’d no doubt said this exact thing hundreds of times over. There was no enthusiasm to his voice.

“Meridian? I’ve heard that name before, I think. Are you-”

“Involved with the University? Yes, but not intentionally. A pair of their students seems to have stolen something of mine. They’re using my magic to mess with the timeline. I can’t say I appreciate it. My existence is to remain unknown by you… Mortals”

“Would you stop that! How do you know what I’m going to say? Are you reading my mind?” Hook growled, shielding his head with his hands as if that’d help in any way. Meridian chuckled at the sight of it.

“I can’t read your mind, Hook. We’ve had this conversation hundreds of thousands of times. Mortals are rather stuck in their ways. You lot never seem to change your responses, so I’ve taken to memorizing them in hopes of making our initial meetings go as smoothly as possible” He sighed. “Although nothing I do ever seems to negate this conversation. Oh no, it always plays out the same way. At least in the beginning”

Meridian pushed his chair and rolled over to the bookshelf to his left, spinning around to face it as he did so. It was one swift and smooth movement; something he must have done hundreds of times. Once at the shelf, he scoured through the piles of books before grabbing one and blowing the dust from it’s cover. The dust was a shimmery purple, and it lingered in the air for several seconds.

“Here you are. Read over this, would you? I believe it’ll answer the majority of your questions.” Meridian gave Hook a half smile as he handed him the book. “Go on, now. Take a seat. No use in standing around, you’re going to be here for awhile”

Hook reluctantly accepted the book and took a seat on a nearby chair. The chair was covered in more books and trinkets, but they were easily cleared away. Once he’d sat down, Hook opened the book and began reading through it. Something was deeply concerning about this book. Immediately, Hook could recognize it as his own handwriting. It recounted many tales of meeting this mysterious Meridian; tales that all seemed to begin the same way as this one. He’d wander over to the cave where Halcyon was, get attacked by wraiths, and eventually after a day or so of wandering the citadel he’d wind up here.

This book had far more than just stories of how he’d met Meridian, though. They also detailed things that Hook had been trying to piece together for years. The true identity of the Great Dragon. The true identity of Halcyon, his employee. Information on the origins of his other employee, Hazel, and how he wound up in Barrowford to begin with. All of the conspiracies he’d been working to uncover over the years. The truth to all of them was right here, written in this book. Hell, there were even hidden truths that he’d never thought about before. Like why there was a church of Tilvet in a town with no Lesser humans, and why the Xylid shopkeeper who worked in the shopping district was obsessed with teeth. All of it was mind blowing.

While there were hundreds of interesting snippets in this book, Hook only really cared about one thing. The true identity of his employee, Halcyon. He was not, in fact, the Great Dragon like Hook had once thought. Instead, he was the Great Dragon’s son. The son that’d taken his place in the world after his unfortunate passing. Halcyon was far too deep into this ruse to reveal the truth now. According to this book, if Halcyon ever let on that the Great Dragon was no more, demons would quickly catch wind and begin overtaking Mirror Domain once more. Halcyon the 2nd had no son of his own to take his place if he ever perished, so the world would be left with no Great Dragon to protect it. All would crumble and die.

This story was written as if Hook had experienced the aftermath of this event firsthand, which only made reading it more unnerving. All of these stories were written from Hook’s perspective. The question he was left with was simple: why? Why show him this? Why did Meridian bring him here. Just, why. There didn’t seem to be a reason behind any of it. This book made it very clear that Meridian also lived his life in these time loops, like the travelers he’d met previously. Once Meridian was done with him, the timeline would simply reset and Hook would forget all about it. So why bring him here at all? Why?

“Why… Why am I here exactly? What do you want from me?” Hook asked softly. The shock of the situation was still overwhelming.

“You’re here because you remember. Those… Thieves. They stole my magic, and now they’re using it for their own personal gain. Do you have any idea the sorts of things they’ve done with my power? Hmm? I’ll give you a hint, it involves ending the world. They’re treating it like a game too. I don’t much appreciate being killed, Hook.” Meridian said deadpan. His voice seemed a lot more cold than it did before.

“I remember? Remember what?”

“They brought you through one of their loops. You can remember the day repeating itself, yes?”

“Yes, I do. Or I guess, I remember them telling me it’d happen.” Hook muttered. “Although I’ve yet to see any proof of their claims”

“That’s exactly why you’re here. I want you to recover what they’ve stolen from me. My book and satchel. My existence is not to be known by mortals. I’ve had too many failures in the past. Those damn mirrors are the shining example of those failures… Ehm, continuing on. If that book gets into the public eye, I’m done for. Mortals will be able to bend time to their will with no restrictions. If that happens, believe me, time will be broken beyond repair. Not even I’ll be able to stop it. There's a reason behind everything, Hook. The knowledge I’ve acquired over the span of my life is too great for the likes of you mortals”

“Why.. Why do I have to do this? Hmm?” Hook questioned, a frown spreading across his face. “If you’re so great and powerful, why can’t you do this yourself?”

“And risk exposing myself to the world? My dear Hook, if those imbeciles finally decide to end this loop my presence may leave a permanent stain on the timeline. My existence would be known, at least by the members of your town, and if that happens I’ll have no choice but to… Erase them. Don’t make me do that, Hook.”

“Erase them… Y-you’d really kill someone just for knowing about your existence?” Hook stammered

“Yes. I’m a higher being. The life and death of you mortals means nothing to me. All I care about is my research. We’ve gone over this before, dear boy. Please don’t make me threaten you yet again. I quite like you.”

“So you’re telling me that my only options are help you, or have my town exterminated?”

“Oh, no no. If you refuse, I’ll simply throw you back into the timeline and have you reset. You’ll wake up at 7am, just like every morning, and this entire experience will be erased from your mind. It’ll be as if it never happened. I can find help elsewhere, you know. But if you choose to aid me I’ll be sure to reward your efforts” Meridian’s voice sounded almost cheery as he said this. His mood seemed to shift easily. One moment he sounded like he’d end Hook’s life with a snap of his fingers, and the next he sounded like a close old friend. It was rather jarring.

“Reward? How? It seems like whether I help you or not I’ll just end up forgetting this ever happened.” Hook muttered in reply

“You’ll forget about me, yes. But your reward will remain with you. Whatever you decide it’ll be” Meridian pushed off his desk once again, his chair slowing to a stop once he was mere inches away from Hook’s face. “Just be warned. Nothing in life is without consequences. Think long and hard about how you’ll use my gift.”

Hook scooted himself back a few inches. “And what, uh. What is this gift exactly?”

“Whatever you wish it to be, Hook. The only rules I have in place is that it can’t mess with the flow of time in any way. Other than that, you’re free to ask for anything. My magic will grant it with ease” Meridian smiled. “So, do we have a deal?”

He stared blankly at Meridian for several moments, thinking over his offer. This “gift” of his seemed rather ambiguous. How did he know it wasn’t all just a ruse? Still, the offer was tempting. He could ask for anything, and it’d be granted to him. Just like that. Power like this was beyond Hook’s comprehension, so he decided it’d be best not to ask questions.

“All I have to do is return your book and satchel? That’s it?”

“Retrieve my items and bring them back to Halcyon’s cave. You’ll receive further instruction from there. Just don’t fight the wraiths next time, they’re only trying to help”

“I suppose I can do that. If it’s what needs to be done in order to, uh, “fix” the flow of time…”

“Wonderful.” Meridian scooted his chair over to his desk and grabbed a small bottle before scooting back to Hook and handing it to him. “I believe it’s time for me to bid you farewell. Drink this once you get back to your realm, and remember. The wraiths are watching you. Don’t do anything you might regret.”

Before Hook got the chance to say anything else, Meridian whistled loudly. Seconds later, Hook found himself back inside Halcyon’s cave. Just where he was before. Of course, it seemed to be far later in the day. No one was in the area. No wraiths, no Halcyon. He was all alone in there. His sword was still lying on the ground right where he’d left it. Hook walked over and picked it up before turning his attention back to the small black vial of liquid in his hands.

Meridian had told him to drink it once he’d gotten back. He was back now, so he uncorked the bottle and did exactly that. It was thick and syrupy, and it tasted like iron. The taste was awful, but he managed to choke it down. Not the worst thing he’d ever tasted, as bad as it was. It had the distinct flavour of demon blood and maybe a bit of oil. After drinking the potion, a bright flash of purple light materialized in front of Hook before shooting into him. His whole body glowed momentarily. When the glow subsided, Hook could see that his clothing had shifted in colour from blue to purple. That seemed to be the only change in his appearance. Other than that, he felt just fine.

With that done, Hook made his way out of the cave and began the long walk back to town. It was beginning to get dark outside. He must have been gone all day, although just how long he was really away escaped him. It was hard to tell. With all that talk of time loops and alternate timelines it was hard to make sense of it all. Time almost felt arbitrary at this point. At least the constant ticking of all those clocks had finally stopped.

The back door of the tavern creaked open as Hook entered. Looking inside he could see his young employee Hazel asleep behind the bar. Everything seemed to be normal here. The floors appeared as if they’d been recently mopped, and none of his inventory had gone missing. It must have been a slow day. Not surprising. Most of the townsfolk avoided the tavern if Hook or Halcyon weren’t there. Hazel was entertaining, but he wasn’t the easiest person to work with. Seeing Hazel filled Hook with a somber kind of sadness. He knew things about him that he shouldn’t. He knew far too many things about this town that he shouldn’t. It was all too much.

So, with nothing left to do, Hook went to bed. There was a lot on his mind, but it could wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d start his search for the two travelers Meridian had tasked him with finding and hopefully retrieve his stolen items. For now, though, Hook slept. Just waiting for the hours to tick away and the morning sun to rise once again. All he could do was wait...